Top Executive Talks Leadership in Russia

Stuart Lawson, Ernst and Young's Executive Director for Russia and the CIS, spoke to Global Executive MBA students about management challenges and Russia's business climate. Read more.

Global Executive MBA Student Profile

Mikhail Romanov, a CFO with Gazprom, learned about leadership and accelerated his career with Fuqua's MBA program. Read more.

The Fuqua School of Business is deeply committed to Russia and the CIS. Our global strategy is to embed and connect in the most important economic regions of the world. This approach allows us to understand this region from a local perspective, while also providing a context for how the region fits into the larger global business landscape. Even in the virtually connected world, there is no substitute for first-hand experience. By connecting the region to our base in Durham, North Carolina, USA, and all our locations around the world, we are uniquely qualified to train the leaders of a business environment without boundaries.

Duke has had a long, exciting and very successful history in Russia and other CIS countries. After the fall of Communism and perestroika in the former Soviet Union, the late J.B. Fuqua—after whom the business school is named—underwrote a program to train Russian business managers on the principles of management in a free market economy. In 1989, as Russia's government verged on bankruptcy, J.B. Fuqua personally provided $4 million for the Russian Managers Program. With help from former Fuqua Dean Thomas Keller, Fuqua's first Russian initiative was born, and over seven years, more than 400 men and women completed the Russian Managers Program.

Fuqua Programs

Every year Fuqua welcomes many students from Russia and the CIS to its programs. If you are considering Duke and would like to learn more, please contact us directly or attend one of our information sessions.

MBA Programs

The Duke MBA is an internationally renowned business degree that can be studied in one of four programs, depending on your level of professional experience, your personal and professional goals, and your geographic location.

US-Based MBA Programs

Daytime MBA — a traditional, two-year, full-time program that takes place on campus in Durham, North Carolina, and is ideal for candidates with several years of business experience.

Weekend Executive MBA — a 19-month, weekend-format program that takes place on campus in Durham, North Carolina, and is ideal for working professionals who live in North America and have at least 5 years of work experience.

Global MBA Programs

No matter where in the world you live and work, working professionals can complete these global programs without interrupting successful careers. You will study in multiple locations across the world, including the first and last terms on the Duke campus in North Carolina.

Cross Continent MBA — a 16-month international program for professionals (average age is 30) who will study in 5 different locations across the world.

Global Executive MBA — an intensive 15-month international program for senior executives (average age is 39) who will study in 7 global locations.

MMS Programs

Fuqua offers two Master of Management Studies (MMS) programs that are perfect for recent college graduates from Russia and the CIS who have little to no professional experience, and wish to obtain a master's level business degree. Each MMS program is full-time and 10-months long.

MMS: Duke Kunshan University — program starts on campus in Durham, North Carolina, for 3 terms, and then the last 2 terms are spent at Duke Kunshan University in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, China.

Other Programs

Fuqua also offers a PhD program as well as non-degree, executive education programs. Visit the main Programs page to learn more.

Alumni in the Region

One of the great benefits of the collaborative and inclusive culture of Duke is that the alumni network is not hampered by degree or school affiliation, but is extended to any graduate of any Duke program. Russia and the CIS is home to more than 100 Duke alumni and students with a variety of academic and cultural backgrounds who are united by their experience and love of Duke.

Visit Fuqua's alumni website to learn more about the latest club events and activities. Active Duke and Fuqua alumni communities gather in Moscow, Astana, and Almaty.

St. Petersburg Office

Contact Us: We hope to continue to broaden our partnerships and involvement in Russia and the CIS. Please feel free to contact us if you have questions about Fuqua activity in the region or wish to learn more about any of our programs.

Daria Zarubina serves as Regional Director for Russia and the CIS, and she is based in Fuqua's St. Petersburg office. Providing leadership for the school's business operations in the region, she is responsible for corporate and partner relationships, admissions and alumni activities, and overall creation and implementation of strategies to accomplish Fuqua's goals in Russia and the CIS. She represents Fuqua at a variety of events and provides support to Fuqua's programs in the region.

Zarubina holds a Master in International Business degree from the Graduate School of Management, St.Petersburg State University, which is Fuqua's key partner in Russia. Prior to joining Fuqua in 2009 as the regional manager for Russia, she worked in client communication and marketing.

Natalia Stekolnikova joined The Fuqua School of Business in August 2011. She is Administrative Assistant for Russia and the CIS. Her responsibilities include clerical and project support to the Regional Director, and scheduling, budgeting, travel arrangements, and coordination of various other tasks. She also handles logistics for our Russia-based programs.

Stekolnikova graduated from Saint Petersburg State University and holds a double degree as an interpreter and PR expert. She speaks two foreign languages: English and German. After graduating, she worked as a manager of international educational programs in International Banking Institute, British Council in St. Petersburg, and Fuqua's partner in Russia, Graduate School of Management (St. Petersburg State University).

Partners

Board of Visitors

Fuqua's Board of Visitors advise senior school leadership on all matters related to curriculum, programs, facilities, and operations while promoting better communication and relationships within the business community. One board member hails from the Russia and CIS region:

The purpose of Fuqua's Russia/CIS Regional Advisory Board is to advise the school on matters related to curriculum, programs, and operations with a focus on the promotion of communication and relationships within the business community across Russia and the CIS. Board members directly impact the success of the school by facilitating relationships with key business and government entities in Russia/CIS. Board members are:

Since 2009, Fuqua has hosted one-week US residencies for Executive MBA students from St. Petersburg State University's Graduate School of Management (GSOM).

Fernando Bernstein, Fuqua's Associate Professor of Operations Management, offers operations and strategy lectures and discussions, including supply chain logistics, inventory management, postponement, and applications of game theory to production and distribution systems. Last year's program included supplemental classroom sessions led by alumni Tom Weck '93, VP/CIO Johnson and Johnson Consumer Division, and Kit Nowlin '11, Senior Director of Global Business Processes at Walmart Stores. Students also visited an assembly plant at John Deere, facilitated by Kory Johnson '03.

In 2012, a Human Resource Management course was introduced with Professor Cade Massey, former Fuqua faculty member who is currently teaching at Wharton. Professor Massey led the students through case studies, discussions, simulations and corporate visits to SAS and the Carolina Hurricanes. The class participated in guest lectures led by Jennifer Kurkoski, Director of Google's People & Innovation Lab, who discussed the company's hiring and evaluation processes, and Jeffrey Schackner, Managing Director with Citigroup, who shared his perspectives on motivating and managing high performers.

Duke University's corporate education arm, Duke Corporate Education (Duke CE), has a global reputation for excellence spanning economics, international relations, trade, government and law. Duke CE has been ranked No. 1 in the world since 2003 (Financial Times).

Corporate Engagement

Due to Fuqua's embedded presence in Russia, we have developed strong corporate relations with executives in the region who contribute to the Duke MBA experience.

Leading business practitioners speak to Duke MBA students during residencies in Russia. They share unique insights regarding the challenges and opportunities involved with leading organizations in Russia, and they share their perspective on doing business in the region.

Through an extensive recruiting network, Fuqua alumni work on every continent across the globe. Our alumni are currently working in positions at a number of fine organizations in Europe. A representative, but not exhaustive, list is below:

Historical Events

St. Petersburg International Economic Forum

Former Fuqua Dean Blair Sheppard participated in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in 2009. The world-renowned forum included speeches, presentations, and discussion sessions with the leading Russian and Western political elite and leaders of industry.

Dean Sheppard participated in a panel discussion titled "A New Economic Model and the Long-term Impact of Crisis." The discussion was moderated by Robert Thomson, Managing Editor of The Wall Street Journal and Editor-in-Chief of Dow Jones. Aide to the President of the Russian Federation Arkady Dvorkovich was also a panelist. Dvorkovich graduated from Duke University in 1998 with a PhD in Philosophy.

Corporate Programs for the Russian Market

This was a presentation of the joint project of The Fuqua School of Business, Duke Corporate Education, and the Graduate School of Management, St. Petersburg State University. A photo gallery and more details are available on the Graduate School of Management website.

Duke MBA International Retreat: Energy and the Environment

The eighth annual Duke MBA International Retreat was held in Moscow in 2008. Described as the "barometer and nucleus of the changes sweeping through Russia," Moscow was the perfect setting for the discussion of the challenges and opportunities surrounding energy and the environment. Participants had a closed session with the CEO of a leading energy company regarding the industry landscape and were led in a case discussion by Fuqua faculty in Duke's Corporate Sustainability Initiative.

Russian Managers Program Reunion & Duke Russia Business Forum

The Fuqua School of Business hosted a reunion for graduates of the Russian Managers program as well as a business forum. More than 100 participants attended the two-day event in Moscow in 2007. The Duke-Russia Business Forum focused on challenges and opportunities in the Russian market and featured leaders from several industries, presenting in concert with Fuqua's faculty. Invited speakers included high-ranking executives from the oil and gas, IT, consumer products and other industries highly relevant in Russia's growth.

Russian Managers Program

After the fall of Communism and perestroika in the former Soviet Union, the late J.B. Fuqua after whom the school is named underwrote a program to train Russian business managers on the principles of management in a free market economy. In 1989, as the country's government verged on bankruptcy, J.B. Fuqua personally provided $4 million for the Russian Managers Program. With help from former Fuqua Dean Thomas Keller, Fuqua's first Russian initiative was born, and over seven years, more than 400 men and women completed the Russian Managers Program between 1989 – 1997.